Since the end of the regular season, the Chicago Bears have controlled the 2023 NFL Draft. On Friday, Bears general manager Ryan Poles made a career-defining trade.
Sources tell CBS Sports that the Bears are passing the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers, who were previously picked at No. 9, in a blockbuster move.
The bears’ prey is enormous. Pending the physical, the Bears will acquire Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore, number 9, a second-round pick this year, a first-round pick in 2024 and a second-round pick in 2025.
The deal solidifies the three teams’ intentions at quarterback. The Carolina Panthers will pick their future quarterback in the April draft, followed by the Houston Texans at number two. Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are the leaders in the top two in both picks.
The Bears are all in with third-year quarterback Justin Fields surrounding him with a #1 receiver and an offensive tackle. Meanwhile, the Texans and Panthers are set to draft their future quarterbacks in April.
“I think we’ve been pleased with Justin’s progress since we arrived in Chicago and we want to build on that,” Poles told CBS Sports at the combine last week. “We really do. He showed the ability to be explosive as a runner, had lightning as a passer and we’ve both been open about wanting to see progress and I know he’s doing that too. He’s a hard worker. He’ll take his time, so we’re looking forward to that.”
Fields led all quarterbacks in the league in rushing yards last year with 1,143 yards. The bears want to trace that back into the future in 2023.
“I would just say he uses his legs when it’s necessary,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus told CBS Sports at the combine. “If we have a designed run for him, he will certainly use it, but at critical moments, third, fourth in the red zone and he did. But normal down situations, we really want him to just take what’s given to him and if he learns that, he’ll be a little bit more effective.”
Teams like the Bears and Packers were interested in Moore at the close last year, but Carolina held on. Moore signed a three-year, $61.9 million extension last spring, and the Panthers wanted a first-round pick and then some for Moore, according to sources.
Moore compiled three consecutive seasons of at least 1,100 yards from 2019 to 2021. He had a career-high seven touchdowns in 2022, but with so much turbulence at quarterback for Carolina last year, Moore only amassed 888 receiving yards.
Trading for the Panthers makes their plans for the draft clear. Young and Stroud are considered the top two quarterbacks in this year’s draft. Will Levis and Anthony Richardson, who have put together a historically sporting combination, appear to be on the outside but could be dangerous.
“There are so many different ways to play the position,” Panthers head coach Frank Reich said in an interview with CBS Sports last week about what he wants in a quarterback, “but at a certain level you have to be able to to be an accurate passer “You have to have that tenacity, you have to be a great leader, you have to be able to process information pretty quickly. At a certain level you have to be able to play from the pocket. I likes all the movement stuff. There are people who can shift the starting point, get people out of the bag, but there’s still that old-school mentality of, “Hey, there’s going to be times in the game where you need to win from the bag “So those are some of the things you’re looking for.”